"He only wants to get what he deserves" - Mikel shares inside story of Victor Osimhen's failed Chelsea move amid talk of striker being 'greedy'

Former Chelsea star John Obi Mikel has opened up on the Blues' failed summer attempt to sign Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen from Napoli. The former midfielder has leapt to the defence of his compatriot after reports emerged in the media about his apparent greed in negotiations.

The Victor Osimhen transfer saga was one of the most widely spoken-about in the summer transfer window, as the striker had a number of suitors. The 25-year-old made it clear that he was not going to appear for Napoli anymore and had offers from PSG, Chelsea and Al-Ahli before joining Galatasaray.

Chelsea had hoped to sign Osimhen, who was a boyhood fan of the club, and had club cult hero John Obi Mikel get involved in the negotiations for him. Mikel, who witnessed everything unfold from close quarters, has spoken on the ObiOne podcast about what actually happened and implied that the Blues may return for the striker.

“It’s an open secret that I was involved in the [attempted] deal [to bring Osimhen to Chelsea]. I hear a lot of people saying how greedy he [Osimhen] is and stuff like that. I just want to say categorically that I know the boy since the very first day he joined the national team. My relationship with him has been very good and since then we’ve been in contact.

“Of course, we’re friends and I know what he’s capable of [as a player]. I just want to say that it is absolutely not true, Victor is not a greedy guy. He only wants to get what he deserves. That’s not a problem [according to me]. He wasn’t asking for [half a million], all that is bullshit. I know what happened because I was in the midst of all the talks.

“A player knowing what he’s worth and demanding to be paid accordingly is not a problem. We were very close to [reaching a compromise] and getting the deal done. We were hours away from getting the deal done, but it was just slight issues or problems that couldn't help us get over the line. Even if we got the deal done, it was too late for the medical. I know exactly where we stopped, where we are with the deal and if eventually, say in January, we have to pick it up again, we know exactly from where we have to start.”

Chelsea were reportedly unwilling to break their rigid wage structure for Victor Osimhen and were reluctant to pay his release clause. The Blues tried to sign him in the final hours of the transfer window, but the Nigerian striker refused to take what would have been a significant pay cut.

Victor Osimhen ended up joining Turkish champions Galatasaray on a season-long loan from Napoli, who signed Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea as his replacement. The deal reportedly includes a break option that allows him to move permanently in January and a much lower release clause.

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Victor Osimhen sends Chelsea message with goal for national team

Galatasaray and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen sent a message to Chelsea after he found the net for his country in their 3-0 win over Benin Republic. The 25-year-old striker helped his country get their AFCON qualifying campaign off to a flying start with a win in Uyo.

Having not played a single game since the end of the 2023-24 season, Osimhen started on the bench as Nigeria hosted their neighbors. The striker came off the bench with the Super Eagles 1-0 up thanks to a goal from Ademola Lookman. He showed his quality with a brilliant first-time half-volley to double their advantage, sparking wild celebrations in the stadium.

Victor Osimhen has now risen to second place on the list of Nigeria's most prolific goalscorers of all time, behind only Rashidi Yekini. The striker has 22 goals in 36 appearances for his country and is only 16 goals from a new record.